Jeff Yu, who was presumed dead, stays at his parents' home complaining about being doxxed
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Jeff Yu, who was presumed dead, stays at his parents' home complaining about being doxxed
Despite the obituary having been published, Jeffy Yu's life continues.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: George Kelly
Translation: TechFlow
Photo caption: Jeffy Yu, provided by The Standard
Jeffy Yu appeared to end his life on Sunday in a livestreamed video just before his 23rd birthday.
A glowing obituary quickly followed, describing the aspiring cryptocurrency figure as "a visionary artist, technologist, and cultural force" and "a technical prodigy from childhood." Meanwhile, a memecoin named after Yu also launched.
However, in the following days, online sleuths began questioning the authenticity of the video. The obituary was later removed.
Whatever deception was at play came to an abrupt halt when The Standard tracked down Yu on Wednesday, finding him holed up at his parents’ home in San Francisco’s Crocker-Amazon neighborhood.
Standing outside the two-story house, the supposedly gifted tech developer appeared anxious and shocked to have been located through basic online searches.
"I’ve been doxxed, I’ve been harassed. If you can find me, others can too," he said. "Now I have to get my parents to move out within the week."
Yu is the developer behind Zerebro, a niche cryptocurrency token valued at $44 million (compared to Bitcoin’s $2 trillion market cap). Zerebro only gained notoriety after Yu seemingly shot himself during a livestream on the crypto platform pump.fun.
While the full video is no longer available, fragments continue to circulate. His obituary once hailed him as a "martyr of imagination and creativity," but it has since disappeared from Legacy.com.
The obituary read: "His life, though brief, was filled with passion, talent, and dedication to creation—qualities he hoped would inspire others forever."
It remains unclear how much of Jeffy Yu’s other biographical details are true. Online tributes claimed he studied computer science at Stanford University and attended Northeastern University and Arizona State University. Reports stated he worked full-time as a software engineer in Santa Cruz, which matches information on his LinkedIn profile.
Dressed in a T-shirt, shorts, flip-flops, and thin-rimmed glasses, Yu declined to discuss the false reports of his death or any potential financial gains from the stunt.
All he said was: "You can see the PTSD in my eyes, right?" before asking reporters to leave.
More striking than the obituary’s praise was a memecoin he launched on Sunday—an apparent act of self-commemoration.
The cryptocurrency, promoted across his social media accounts via an "automated message," was called $LLJEFFY. The message read: "If you're reading this, it's because my 72-hour deadman’s switch has been triggered, so I’m gone—at least physically." He described the new coin as "my final artwork" and "an eternal tomb in cyberspace."
As the story unfolded, skepticism grew rapidly. Industry figures, including Daniele Sestagalli, CEO of the crypto platform Wonderland, claimed Yu faked his death. Sestagalli also shared a private letter allegedly written by Yu stating, "Suicide was the only viable way out from constant harassment, extortion, and threats," and that he needed to "completely and permanently disengage." However, Sestagalli did not respond to interview requests.
According to on-chain analysis shared by crypto analytics platform Bubblemaps on social media showing, wallets linked to Yu moved up to $1.4 million in cryptocurrency after his supposed death. Numerous accounts accused Yu of orchestrating an elaborate "pseudocide exit strategy" to cash out his holdings.
Prior to his "death," Yu had published a manifesto introducing a concept called "legacoins." These tokens were described as an "evolutionary form of digital assets (commonly known as memecoins)" functioning like "vaults or storage units to safeguard and preserve value indefinitely."
New information about Yu continues to emerge. Earlier Thursday, an X (formerly Twitter) account named @eiuge74698713 announced plans for "a unique blockchain funeral event" in honor of Yu.
The account stated: "He was a true believer and builder in blockchain, remaining faithful to his life principles even in death. He deserves to be remembered in a uniquely blockchain way."
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call or text "988" to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline anytime, or chat online for help.
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